This month, we are thrilled to spotlight Mark Takatsuka, a Software Engineer on our ContextGPT Product team who has been driving innovation at Cognitiv for nearly two years. Mark embodies the curious, solution-oriented mindset that fuels our engineering culture—someone who thrives on building something truly new rather than iterating on existing solutions. When he is not tackling complex problems in contextual advertising, you will find him logging daily runs, strategizing over board games like Terraforming Mars, or working on his 2006 Volvo racing trim with his mechanic father. From his fascination with neurology to his passion for robotics and AI, Mark brings both technical expertise and genuine enthusiasm to everything he does. Get to know the person behind the code in our conversation below.

• Pronouns: He/Him/His 
• Role: Software Engineer 
• Team: Engineering Team - Engineering – ContextGPT Product
• How Long Have You Been at Cognitiv: 1 year, 10 months

Inside The Office

What do you love most about your role?

What I love most are the technical challenges. They’re actually super interesting. We are not just building a product that has already been done a hundred times in a slightly different way—we are creating something new. Of course, that comes with its own unique challenges, but that’s what makes it exciting and engaging for me.

What is one innovation in adtech you are most excited about, and why?

This might be a bit of a cheat answer, but I would say contextual advertising. Not just because I work on it, but because it feels like the natural progression for adtech. It allows us to serve relevant ads without relying so heavily on user data, and it keeps advertisers safe by monitoring rapidly changing data. Plus, as with many areas of life, AI is going to take on more of the work here, which makes it even more impactful.

What's one thing you think will evolve in adtech in the next 5 years?

I think AI is going to be more and more included in every possible workflow. It will become a natural part of how we approach things across the industry.

What is a memorable moment when you felt like your work really made an impact at Cognitiv?

I remember seeing the year-over-year revenue during an all-hands meeting and thinking, “Wow.” That was the moment I realized this was driving real results. That was when it really hit me that my work had an impact.

Outside The Office

Is there a quote or piece of advice that has stuck with you throughout your career?

A relative once told me that there are three things you should look for in a job: interesting work, a company that is doing good things, and good compensation. You should aim to find at least two, but of course you can always strive for all three. That’s something that has always stuck with me.

If you were not in your current role, what would your dream job be?

If I could step completely outside of tech, I’d want to be a neurologist — the brain fascinates me. If I were to stay within tech, robotics would be my dream field.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I am a big runner — I try to run almost every day when I am not sick. I also love playing board games with my girlfriend. My two favorites are Terraforming Mars and Wingspan. Terraforming Mars can be intimidating at first, but Wingspan is super enjoyable and even won game of the year.

What's a skill or hobby you've learned recently?

I recently bought a car, and I have been working on it with my dad, who is a mechanic. I have been learning how to fix, maintain, and upgrade it. It is a 2006 Volvo racing trim — definitely too fast for me, but a lot of fun.

Rapid-Fire Questions

• Coffee or tea? Tea — I love matcha.
• Morning person or night owl? Night owl, though I would like to be a morning person.
• Favorite vacation spot? Levanto, Italy. I went there for the first time recently, and it was incredible.
• Favorite book or movie? Not a book or movie, but a TV show: Silo. It’s amazing.

Team Shoutouts

“Mark Takatsuka is filled with so much passion and determination that it's truly contagious. He goes above and beyond every day and refuses to leave anything half-baked. This is clearly demonstrated by the time and effort he pours into everything he does, whether it's his responsibilities at Cognitiv, supporting those around him, training for marathons, or working on personal projects. That energy inspires our team to give 110%, no matter the task at hand.” — Mark Min, Software Engineer

“Mark is a lead engineer on Cognitiv's Contextual product, where he is responsible for the systems that power Cognitiv's holistic understanding of the entire internet. By ensuring this understanding is accurate and continually updated, Mark enables our clients to get advanced performance from their pixel-less advertising campaigns. He is also an accomplished runner and a big part of our Bellevue office culture. We're lucky to have him!” — Matt Fitzgerald, Senior Engineering Manager

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